Growth of Phases and Diffusion of Components in the W-Pt System

Growth kinetics, phase boundary compositions, interdiffusion coefficients and the relative mobilities of the components are determined in the W-Pt system. The measured phase boundary compositions for the gamma phase are found to be different from the reported phase diagram. The interdiffusion coefficient and the activation energy decrease in the Pt(W) solid solution with increasing W content. An estimation of the parabolic growth constants and average interdiffusion coefficients in the gamma phase indicates that the diffusion process should be explained based on the estimation of diffusion parameters, which otherwise could lead to a wrong conclusion. The estimation of the relative mobilities of the components in the gamma phase indicates that Pt has a much higher diffusion rate than W. This is explained with the help of the crystal structure and the possible point defects present on different sublattices.

Basic studies on the role of components of Bacillus megaterium as flotation biocollectors in sulphide mineral separation

Studies were carried out to assess the utility of the cellular and extracellular constituents of Bacillus megaterium for the flotation of sphalerite and galena minerals. Based on the flotation results on the individual minerals, it was observed that sphalerite was preferentially floated compared to galena. A maximum selectivity index (SI) value of 11.7 was achieved in the presence of the soluble fraction of the thermolysed cells, which was higher than that obtained with the intact cells (SI of 6.5) and the insoluble fraction of the thermolysed cells (SI of 9.6). The results of the various enzymatic treatment tests revealed that extracellular DNA played a vital role in the selective flotation of sphalerite. A noteworthy finding was that the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) had a higher biocollector capacity vis-A -vis the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), leading to better flotation efficiency. About 95 % recovery of sphalerite could be achieved from the mineral mixture by the combined addition of the ssDNA with the non-DNA components of the bacterial cells, resulting in a maximum SI of 19.1. Calcium and phosphate components of the nutrient media were found to be essential for better selectivity of separation of sphalerite. The mechanisms of microbe-mineral interaction are discussed.

Raman Spectroscopic Study of Serum Components

Early diagnosis of disease is important, because therapeutic intervention is most successful before it spread to the subject. The best health screenings method could be the blood test because the blood contains thousands of bio-molecules coming as by-products from the diseased part of the organism and would be non-invasive approach. The major limitation of this approach is the very low concentrations of the analytes need to be detected. Raman spectroscopy has been proven as one of the cutting edge technique applied in the field of histology, cytology and clinical chemistry. The primary obstacle of Raman spectroscopy is the low signal intensities. One of the promising approaches to overcome that is surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) which has opened novel opportunities for chemical and biomedical analytics. Albumin is one of the most abundant proteins in blood, produced by liver. The state of albumin in serum determines the health of the liver and kidney. Serum albumin helps to transport many small molecules such as fatty acids, bilirubin, calcium, drugs through the blood. In this study, SERS is being used for the quantification and to understand of binding mechanism serum albumin.

Diffusion of components via different modes during growth of the A15-V(3)Gaphase

Based on an interdiffusion study using an incremental diffusion couple in the V-Ga binary system, we have shown that V diffuses via the lattice, whereas Ga does so via grain boundaries, for the growth of the V3Ga phase. We estimate the contributions from the two different mechanisms, which are usually difficult to delineate in an interdiffusion study. Available tracer diffusion studies and the atomic arrangement in the crystal structure have been considered for a discussion on the diffusion mechanisms.

On-line Estimation of Fundamental and Ripple Components of Line Currents in a Voltage-Source Inverter Operated at Low Switching Frequency

High-power voltage-source inverters (VSI) are often switched at low frequencies due to switching loss constraints. Numerous low-switching-frequency PWM techniques have been reported, which are quite successful in reducing the total harmonic distortion under open-loop conditions at such low operating frequencies. However, the line current still contains low-frequency components (though of reduced amplitudes), which are fed back to the current loop controller during closed-loop operation. Since the harmonic frequencies are quite low and are not much higher than the bandwidth of the current loop, these are amplified by the current controller, causing oscillations and instability. Hence, only the fundamental current should be fed back. Filtering out these harmonics from the measured current (before feeding back) leads to phase shift and attenuation of the fundamental component, while not eliminating the harmonics totally. This paper proposes a method for on-line extraction of the fundamental current in induction motor drives, modulated with low-switching-frequency PWM. The proposed method is validated through simulations on MATLAB/Simulink. Further, the proposed algorithm is implemented on Cyclone FPGA based controller board. Experimental results are presented for an R-L load.

Collective eigenstates of emission in an N-entity heterostructure and the evaluation of its Green tensors and self-energy components

Optical emission from emitters strongly interacting among themselves and also with other polarizable matter in close proximity has been approximated by emission from independent emitters. This is primarily due to our inability to evaluate the self-energy matrices and radiative properties of the collective eigenstates of emitters in heterogeneous ensembles. A method to evaluate self-energy matrices that is not limited by the geometry and material composition is presented to understand and exploit such collective excitations. Numerical evaluations using this method are used to highlight the significant differences between independent and the collective modes of emission in nanoscale heterostructures. A set of N Lorentz emitters and other polarizable entities is used to represent the coupled system of a generalized geometry in a volume integral approach. Closed form relations between the Green tensors of entity pairs in free space and their correspondents in a heterostructure are derived concisely. This is made possible for general geometries because the global matrices consisting of all free-space Green dyads are subject to conservation laws. The self-energy matrix can then be assembled using the evaluated Green tensors of the heterostructure, but a decomposition of its components into their radiative and nonradiative decay contributions is nontrivial. The relations to compute the observables of the eigenstates (such as quantum efficiency, power/energy of emission, radiative and nonradiative decay rates) are presented. A note on extension of this method to collective excitations, which also includes strong interactions with a surface in the near-field, is added. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America

Estimates of site response based on spectral ratio between horizontal and vertical components of ambient vibrations in the source zone of 2001 Bhuj earthquake

We investigated the site response characteristics of Kachchh rift basin over the meizoseismal area of the 2001, Mw 7.6, Bhuj (NW India) earthquake using the spectral ratio of the horizontal and vertical components of ambient vibrations. Using the available knowledge on the regional geology of Kachchh and well documented ground responses from the earthquake, we evaluated the H/V curves pattern across sediment filled valleys and uplifted areas generally characterized by weathered sandstones. Although our HIV curves showed a largely fuzzy nature, we found that the hierarchical clustering method was useful for comparing large numbers of response curves and identifying the areas with similar responses. Broad and plateau shaped peaks of a cluster of curves within the valley region suggests the possibility of basin effects within valley. Fundamental resonance frequencies (f(0)) are found in the narrow range of 0.1-2.3 Hz and their spatial distribution demarcated the uplifted regions from the valleys. In contrary, low HIV peak amplitudes (A(0) = 2-4) were observed on the uplifted areas and varying values (2-9) were found within valleys. Compared to the amplification factors, the liquefaction indices (kg) were able to effectively indicate the areas which experienced severe liquefaction. The amplification ranges obtained in the current study were found to be comparable to those obtained from earthquake data for a limited number of seismic stations located on uplifted areas; however the values on the valley region may not reflect their true amplification potential due to basin effects. Our study highlights the practical usefulness as well as limitations of the HIV method to study complex geological settings as Kachchh. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimation of the components of municipal solid waste settlement

Estimation of the municipal solid waste settlements and the contribution of each of the components are essential in the estimation of the volume of the waste that can be accommodated in a landfill and increase the post-usage of the landfill. This article describes an experimental methodology for estimating and separating primary settlement, settlement owing to creep and biodegradation-induced settlement. The primary settlement and secondary settlement have been estimated and separated based on 100% pore pressure dissipation time and the coefficient of consolidation. Mechanical creep and biodegradation settlements were estimated and separated based on the observed time required for landfill gas production. The results of a series of laboratory triaxial tests, creep tests and anaerobic reactor cell setups were conducted to describe the components of settlement. All the tests were conducted on municipal solid waste (compost reject) samples. It was observed that biodegradation accounted to more than 40% of the total settlement, whereas mechanical creep contributed more than 20% towards the total settlement. The essential model parameters, such as the compression ratio (C-c'), rate of mechanical creep (c), coefficient of mechanical creep (b), rate of biodegradation (d) and the total strain owing to biodegradation (E-DG), are useful parameters in the estimation of total settlements as well as components of settlement in landfill.

Evolution of texture and its influence on the failure of components in some aluminium alloys

This paper describes the evolution of crystallographic texture in three of the most important high strength aluminium alloys, viz., AA2219, AA7075 and AFNOR7020 in the cold rolled and artificially aged condition. Bulk texture results were obtained by plotting pole figures from X-ray diffraction results followed by Orientation Distribution Function (ODF) analysis and micro-textures were measured using EBSD. The results indicate that the deformation texture components Cu, Bs and S, which were also present in the starting materials, strengthen with increase in amount of deformation. On the other hand, recrystallization texture components Goss and Cube weaken. The Bs component is stronger in the deformation texture. This is attributed to the shear banding. In-service applications indicate that the as-processed AFNOR7020 alloy fails more frequently compared to the other high strength Al alloys used in the aerospace industry. Detailed study of deformation texture revealed that strong Brass (Bs) component could be associated to shear banding, which in turn could explain the frequent failures in AFNOR7020 alloy. The alloying elements in this alloy that could possibly influence the stacking fault energy of the material could be accounted for the strong Bs component in the texture.

Enhancement of Flotation Selectivity of Sphalerite Using Mineral-Stressed Paenibacillus polymyxa and Its Cellular Components

The selective flotation of sphalerite from a sphalerite-galena mineral mixture was achieved using cellular components of Paenibacillus polymyxa after adaptation to the above minerals. The soluble and insoluble fractions of the thermolysed bacterial cells adapted to sphalerite yielded higher flotation recoveries of sphalerite with selectivity indices ranging between 22 and 29. The protein profile for the unadapted and mineral-stressed cells was found to differ distinctly, attesting to variation in the yield and nature of extra-cellular polymeric substances. The changes induced in the bacterial cell wall components after adaptation to sphalerite or galena with respect to the contents of phosphate, uronic acid and acetylated sugars of P. polymyxa were quantified. In keeping with these changes, a marginal morphological transition of P. polymyxa from rods to spheres was observed. The role of the dissolved metal ions from the minerals as well as that of the constituents of extracellular secretions in modulating the surface potential of the mineral-stressed cells were demonstrated. These studies highlighted that, mineral stress led to qualitative and quantitative changes in the cellular components, which facilitated the enhancement of flotation selectivity of sphalerite.

A finite element method for cracked components of structures

In this paper, a method is developed for determining the effective stiffness of the cracked component. The stiffness matrix of the cracked component is integrated into the global stiffness matrix of the finite element model of the global platform for the FE calculation of the structure in any environmental conditions. The stiffness matrix equation of the cracked component is derived by use of the finite variation principle and fracture mechanics. The equivalent parameters defining the element that simulates the cracked component are mathematically presented, and can be easily used for the FE calculation of large scale cracked structures together with any finite element program. The theories developed are validated by both lab tests and numerical calculations, and applied to the evaluation of crack effect on the strength of a fixed platform and a self-elevating drilling rig.

Practical matching of principal stress field geometries in composite components

A simple composite design methodology has been developed from the basic principles of composite component failure. This design approach applies the principles of stress field matching to develop suitable reinforcement patterns around three-dimensional details such as lugs in mechanical components. The resulting patterns are essentially curvilinear orthogonal meshes, adjusted to meet the restrictions imposed by geometric restraints and the intended manufacturing process. Whilst the principles behind the design methodology can be applied to components produced by differing manufacturing processes, the results found from looking at simple generic example problems suggest a realistic and practical generic manufacturing approach. The underlying principles of the design methodology are described and simple analyses are used to help illustrate both the methodology and how such components behave. These analyses suggest it is possible to replace high-strength steel lugs with composite components whose strength-to-weight ratio is some 4-5 times better. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of spatial repeatability using a tire force measuring mat

A portable mat for measuring the dynamic tire forces of commercial vehicles is described. The mat is 56 m long and 13 mm thick and has 141 capacitative strip sensors spaced at 0.4-m intervals. The accuracy of the mat for measuring dynamic tire forces generated by heavy commercial vehicles is assessed using an instrumented vehicle. The spatial repeatability of dynamic wheel loads generated by 14 uninstrumented articulated vehicles is investigated, and it is concluded that approximately half of the vehicles tested are likely to contribute to a repeatable pattern of road loading.